The Colonies
There are three large colonies of cats living on the Island. They are the Raspberries, the Cloudberries, and the Blackberries. The Raspberries and the Cloudberries have existed since soon after humans left the Island, they reside in the north-western corner and the eastern shore of the island respectively. The Blackberries are a newly formed colony taking up the northern taiga.The defining feature of the colonies is that they believe in a religion that sees Bartholomew as god, though exact religious practices vary between colonies and even within them. The Raspberries generally see Bristle, their founder, as the progenitor to the religion, whereas the Cloudberries generally believe it stems from Haar.
The colonies are generally amicable with each other. They have occasional scuffs or skirmishes, but these are usually due to interpersonal conflict, rather than large scale conflict. The borders between the colonies are usually seen as the valley running through the eastern half of the forest, and the western edge of the forest that opens into fen.
The colonies have very little established social hierarchy, and they work similarly to communes. The only¹ strictly defined role within the colonies is that of the apothecary, who looks after other cat's well-being. It's customary to have at least 2 apothecaries per colony, one focusing on mental health, and another focusing on physical health. The colonies also have midnight, twilight, and morning shifts, but these are mostly for organizational purposes. Colony cats are crepuscular.
Cats from each of the colonies wear a certain trinket to show they are part of it. Cats of the Raspberries wear a raspberry branch on their left ear. Cats of the Cloudberries wear a cloudberry and leaf on their right ear. Cats of the Blackberries wear a blackberry branch on their right ear.
Cats within the colonies choose their own names. Most cats will choose theirs during early adulthood. Until a cat has chosen a name, they are referred to by a simple descriptor (I.E 'black-fur green-eyes') or, they may be referred to by relation to family (I.E 'Turtle's son'). Once a cat has chosen their name, it is considered terribly disrespectful and taboo to refer to them as anything but that. Unnaming another is one of the worst insults that can be given. Nicknames or pet-names do not exist within the colonies' culture.
Allegiances
The Raspberries
The Blackberries
[¹ - the Cloudberries have a second role, that of the supervisor. Supervisors oversee colony expeditions and excavations to ensure they are safe. Supervisors are usually cats with some form of seniority.]
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